University of Waterloo researchers have received more than $4.3 million in funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), a non-profit corporation that support research infrastructure through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF).
"Today's investment demonstrates the remarkable contributions of Canada's researchers and institutions, whose commitment to advancing knowledge and innovation benefits Canadians in both official languages," says the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. "By investing in science and research infrastructure, we are laying the groundwork for discoveries that will enrich our communities and inspire future generations. Canada has what the world's innovators are looking for, and our government is making Canada the destination of choice for the world's top minds."
This funding strengthens Waterloo's capacity to lead research that tackles global challenges, fuels innovation and drives real-world impact. The CFI provides funding to institutions to help recruit and retain outstanding researchers, acquire the tools needed for cutting-edge research and support partnership streams such as the Canada Research Chairs, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The 26 researchers across Waterloo's six faculties will receive up to $600,000 each to support a diverse range of research projects. Their research span across quantum technologies, advanced materials, and architectural exploration and design tools to addressing climate issues and health innovations - reflecting Waterloo's commitment to interdisciplinary excellence and its role as a global leader in research and discovery.
Learn more about the recipients and their projects below.
Dr. Michal Bajcsy | Faculty of Engineering and the Institute for Quantum Computing
$579,016
Atomic layer etcher for enhanced quantum technology devices
Learn more on the Faculty of Engineering website.
Dr. Adrian Lupascu | Faculty of Science and the Institute for Quantum Computing
$421,000
Platform for advanced experiments with superconducting quantum devices
Learn more on the Faculty of Science website.
Dr. Mihaela Vlasea | Faculty of Engineering
$375,750
Technologies enabling nature-inspired architected materials and structures
Dr. Tizazu Mekonnen | Faculty of Engineering
$258,000
Rational design of sustainable and nano-enabled multiphase polymers
Dr. Travis Craddock | Faculty of Science
$200,000
Understanding the basic biophysical mechanisms by which neuroinflammation leads neurodegeneration
Dr. Hong Zhang | Faculty of Mathematics
$195,069
Serving systems for large language models with low latency, high utilization, good scalability and low carbon emissions
Learn more on the Faculty of Mathematics website.
Dr. Clara Colombatto | Faculty of Arts
$180,000
Socio-cognitive foundations of human-machine interactions
Learn more on the Faculty of Arts website.
Dr. Wenhu Chen | Faculty of Mathematics
$168,004
Enriching the linguistic diversity of open language models
Dr. Mohamed Hibat Allah | Faculty of Mathematics
$160,000
Exploring many-body physics with language models
Dr. Varvara Zemskova | Faculty of Mathematics
$160,000
GPU accelerated numerical simulations for oceanographic applications
Dr. Sahar Pirooz Azad | Faculty of Engineering
$154,204
Reconfigurable converter platform for design, protection and control of modern power grids
Dr. Maricor Arlos | Faculty of Engineering
$125,000
Invisible threats, visible solutions: Advancing water quality management through micropollutant analysis
Dr. Vinny Gupta | Faculty of Engineering
$125,000
Fast spectral imaging of fire emissions
Dr. John Magliaro | Faculty of Engineering
$115,000
Elevated- to high-rate characterization facility for advanced lightweight materials and structures
Dr. Jordan Cannon | Faculty of Health
$110,000
Development of a modular biomechanics laboratory to quantify, assess and (re)train movement from lab-to-clinic-to-field
Learn more on the Faculty of Health website.
Dr. Yangju Lin | Faculty of Science
$109,000
Mechanically crosslinked networks: Structure-property relationships and applications in batteries
Dr. Shana MacDonald | Faculty of Arts
$105,000
Feminist Interdisciplinary Research Lab
Dr. Shiyu Su | Faculty of Engineering
$100,000
High-speed and efficient integrated circuits for next generation computing systems
Dr. Jung-Ho Yu | Faculty of Science
$100,000
Raman spectroscopy for multidimensional and ultrasensitive chemical analysis of live biological subjects
Dr. Yuntian Deng | Faculty of Mathematics
$96,000
Progressive internalization of skills for advanced language model reasoning
Dr. Robert Nishida | Faculty of Engineering
$95,000
Framework for advancing aerosol metrics to improve air quality and health
Dr. Andrew Boutros | Faculty of Engineering
$80,000
Architecture exploration and design tools for next-generation reconfigurable acceleration devices
Dr. Bradley Hauer | Faculty of Engineering and the Institute for Quantum Computing
$80,000
Superconducting millimeter-wave circuits for quantum applications
Dr. Elise Laende | Faculty of Engineering
$80,000
Digital infrastructure for motion capture
Dr. Victor Zhong | Faculty of Mathematics
$80,000
Privacy-aware language agents via post-deployment learning and adaptation
Dr. Peter Crank | Faculty of Environment
$78,000
Addressing urban (over)heating in a warming climate
Learn more on the Faculty of Environment website.
